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I came across an interesting article on Linked In by Keith Weed, Unilever's CMO, on the company's "Insights Engine". This approach has been developed to respond to the significant "changes in how brands and consumers interact and engage with each other and the ever-growing importance of mobile/social".

Here are the three main drivers of change that Unilever are pursuing in their approach to insight.

Data-driven customisation

"Having troves of data is of little value in and of itself, " Keith rightly points out. We have seen this first hand on brandgym projects. Teams show the huge "pipe" of social listening data they have access to, but often all this shows is "noise" and random chatter. The key is "looking for smart data about consumer motivations", based on a clear objective.

A good example from Unilever is All Things Hair, a platform Unilever built with Google and YouTube. Keith explains how the platform does three main things:

Predicting hair trends up to 6 months in advance with 90% accuracy

Providing blogger content based on those trends on the YouTube platform (see good old Zoella in action below)

eCommerce links included to buy the range of Unilever products – from Tresemme and Dove through to Sunsilk

The latter point, using this platform to SMS (sells more stuff) sounds great, though I couldn't see this on the site.

Collaboration

The second area of focus is collaboration. This means ensuring that internally the Insights function "works across business areas to share information and support the various areas of the business". We observe on brandgym projects how the best insight teams really are an "engine for growth" as Keith describes, rather than a traditional research function separate from the business.

Unilever is also looking to boost their ability "to talk to consumers easily and quickly using an “always-on” platform". This is provided via a start-up called Discuss.io, who arrange virtual meetings with consumers anywhere in the world. Keith describes how this is used to ensure that at all levels of the organisation stay close to the consumer, "from the category presidents down to the junior brand managers".

Experimentation

The final area of focus is around "empowering people to experiment and innovate", including the Unilever Foundry platform that connects brands with start-ups and entrepreneurs. This allows "brands to pilot quickly, learn from the experience and scale if it works". We at the brandgym have invested ourselves in nine marketing tech start-ups through the Collider program, several of whom are also part of the Unilever Foundry. These investments have exposed us to interesting new insight companies that we are connecting our clients with, including some I posted on here.

In conclusion, Unilever's approach is an inspiring example of how to make insight an engine of growth. As Keith says, "Much of what an insights function doe is gather and analyse data. But we need to go from ‘what’, to ‘so what’ to ‘now what’".

I love Luke Johnson's weekly column in The Sunday Times, a weekly dose of practical advice from a successful entrepreneur.

His latest column was on the myths about what it takes to succeed in business and what is really important. Words like "passion", "genius" and "mission" are sexy and make a good headline

Here are some highlights from the column.

1. IDEAS vs. EXECUTION

Overrated = IDEAS — "anyone can think up a new product or service, but very few can build a business. Often it is not the pioneer who reaps the rewards of innovation, but a latecomer who learns from their predecessor’s mistakes and does it better."Underrated = EXECUTION — "actually carrying out a plan and delivering on a hypothesis separates the few winners from the many losers. Running a company is a gritty, demanding task, which is why so many fail."

From 15 years of experience starting and growing the brandgym, I can testify that hard work, persistence and stamina are key to success. And indeed, "2nd mover advantage" can help a brand succeed: see an example here on Titan watches in India

2. PASSION vs. COMMERCIAL NOUS

Overrated = PASSION — "millions of people are passionate about something, but zeal is not sufficient to ensure a profitable business. Do not mistake blind enthusiasm for a practical proposition." Underrated = COMMERCIALITY — "money makers tend to deliver the goods even if they are dry, unemotional characters. You do not have to be charismatic to be a high-performing entrepreneur."

A key focus of brandgym work is helping teams "follow the money" by being commercial and business savvy. Marketers are often full of ideas and passion, but less good at thinking through "ability to win" with a sustainable, profitable business model, as I posted on here.

3. FOUNDERS vs. PARTNERS

Overrated = HEROIC FOUNDERS — "solo entrepreneurs can be remarkable individuals, but the best returns are usually achieved by teams of capable executives, with each one making a vital contribution to the project."Underrated = PARTNERS — "your chances of making it big in any business endeavour are greatly improved if you take on a partner. I have always had equity partners. Without them I would have accomplished nothing."

The success of the office I opened for Added Value in Paris, growing from 2 to 50 people, and in building the brandgym both came from a partnership with someone talented with complementary skills (thanks Marie-Hélène and David N. !)

4. MISSION vs. CASHFLOW

Overrated = MISSION — "operating a business is not like leading a religious cult. Having an insightful mission statement is fine, but it will not bring customers to your door or repay your overdraft. Business is about doing the basics well every day, looking after the detail"Underrated = CASHFLOW — "companies that do not do this tend to go broke. A sound chief executive understands her margins, profitability, cash flow and all the key financial ratios."

Companies sometimes spend way too much money and time on perfecting a mission statement. Of course, having one helps a business and we do projects in this area. But we recommend moving quickly into action to bring the mission to life through leadership actions to make it real.

In conclusion, Luke's advice is gold dust for any aspiring entrepreneur. Yes, you need a smart strategy and lots of passion. But you also need excellence of execution, a very thick skin, bags of stamina and a ruthless focus on what really makes money.

Post by Jon Goldstone, Global Managing Partner based in London and former UK Marketing VP for Unilever. Based on Jon's recent column in Campaign here

The FMCG formula for success used to be quite simple. You would get on side with the "big four" retailers, strike the optimal balance between quality and price, get your positioning really tight and work with great people to deliver remarkable communication.

1. Why has FMCG marketing become so difficult?

I think the answer lies in two massive channel shifts: a reduction in the power of the "big four" and a reduction in the effectiveness of traditional media.

Today’s retail environment is very hard to navigate. It was once safe to bet on the "big four" – you could afford to over-trade with them because they were outgrowing the rest of the market. However, the growth today is in discounters and ecommerce. The discounters want "A" brands to drive footfall and provide a price benchmark for their own brand but are not interested in a long-term partnership. Ecommerce is attractive but is expensive and requires a new set of skills at a time when teams are getting squeezed.

The shifting media environment is equally challenging. We seem to be caught between two mindsets: those who believe it’s all about reach and that TV is stronger than ever, and those who believe it’s all about engagement and that the future lies in programmatic content. Of course, the reality lies somewhere between the two.

In the meantime, econometric studies for FMCG brands show a dilution in traditional media ROI, few digital media channels have proven ROI and brand health is weakening.

2. Learning from P&G and Danone's recent acquisitions

So what is the answer? The clues often lie where big money is being invested, and two huge deals have caught my eye over the past few weeks.

Unilever's $1billion acquisition of Dollar Shave Club is equally progressive. While Unilever gets to have some fun engaging Procter &Gamble in the shaving category, it also buys access to new capabilities and new channels. Selling direct to the consumer is notoriously hard for the FMCG mainstream. Their big retail customers hate the lost sales and their consumers generally don’t see the point. The beauty of Dollar Shave Club is that it’s a business designed for direct to consumer. It makes sense to buy Dove Men & Care moisturiser alongside your month’s worth of razors.

Danone’s $12.5bn acquisition of WhiteWave Foods can be looked at in two ways: buying into a short-term trend but also buying into new capabilities and retail channels.

WhiteWave has had a huge success with Alpro and Silk as a predominantly young, female and urban audience switch to a non-dairy diet that is motivated as much by lifestyle as health. Danone is acquiring a set of marketing skills that traditional FMCG companies have been struggling to develop organically – the ability to connect with a very specific target in a way that feels relevant and authentic. A type of marketing that seamlessly blends traditional media with a combination of social media, paid advocacy, product-based experiential activity and exploration of new retail channels.

3. Three tips to build brand fitness

It is an amazing time to be working in FMCG. The old rules and conventions are changing and the new solutions are only just starting to emerge. There are no easy answers but I would recommend the following three tips to build brand fitness:

Clear brand vision.Be clearer than ever on what your brand stands for. Who are you targeting and why should this group buy you over the closest alternative?

Big ideas that sell. Push for a compelling creative idea that both stimulates and unites a number of different media choices. Demand both "sizzle" (remarkable, fame-inducing) and "sausage" (sales-driving).

New channels. Experiment with new retail and media channels but in a highly disciplined and analytical manner. Test, evaluate and decide whether to repeat, fine-tune or stop.

On a trip to the shopping centre today I spotted this interesting bit of brand extension from Costa: the Super Day smoothie. I think this is a nice bit of brand extension from the coffee shop chain.

1. Boost the summer refreshment offer

The new smoothies add to Costa's refreshing drink offer, key for the summer period. The Super Day smoothie, made with real fruit, freshly blended with apple juice and ice, means the brand now has two complementary offers. This one is a healthier option with one of those elusive five-a-day portions of fruit we are all supposed to consume. There is also a range of more indulgent coolers, like the Double Chocolate Cookie Mocha Creamy one below (think I know which the Taylor teenage daughters might go for, and which Mrs Taylor might have).

2. Leverage a brand truth

The Super Day smoothies have a point of difference versus other coffee shops' refreshment offer in the way they are blended from real fruit. This has a couple of advantages. First, it communicates the real fruit content, as you can see the physical fruit in the pot on shelf. Second, it builds on and reinforces Costa's brand truth about trained baristas creating your drink, by "Extending the handcrafting skills of our baristas to offer fresh fruit smoothies,” as Costa's Group Brand & Innovation Director Carol Welch commented here.

3. Test and learn

The Super Day smoothies were launched nationally by Costa back in May 2016, as announced here. This follows a 2015 test of the product in 35 stores in South Yorkshire and South East London, as reported here. This sort of real, in-market testing makes a lot of sense to me. Consumer research is helpful, when done well. But nothing beats getting into market, getting real-life learning and refining the mix. For example, it looks like the latest cups now have the descriptor Super Day Smoothie on them, whereas the photo from last year's press release was a plain cup. Perhaps adding this name to the pack was done post-testing to make it easier to spot the product on shelf.

In conclusion, Costa's Super Day Smoothies are a good example of a brand extending its offer in a distinctive way to meet a consumer need and boost the brand's image.

A decade has flown by since the first post saw the light of the day, back in a time when YouTube had just launched, Facebook was only two years old, and we'd not even heard of Twitter or Instagram.

And here we still are, slaving over a hot keyboard to produce two stories a week, every week, for you dear readers, come rain or shine, workday or holiday. A total of over 1,250 posts, all searchable using the little search box on the right of the blog.

I thought it fitting to re-publish the first ever post written on the blog, titled "Where's the Sausage? Building brands on substance, not spin". We've seem some examples of brands delivering great products or service in an emotionally compelling way during the first 10 years of the blog. But we've also seen some shockers too, with lots of sizzle but not sausage.

So, the campaign for more substance continues! Here's to the next 10 years.

"Where's the Sausage? Building brands on substance, not spin" (August 25th, 2006)

This new blog is part of a bigger brandgym campaign for building brands on substance, not spin. We think brands should focus more on the "sausage" of branding, relevant product features and benefits, and rely less on the "sizzle" of emotional values for differentiation. Sure, sizzle can help to sell, but it should reinforce the product idea, not work separately from it. More broadly, "sausage" also refers to delivering more substance and less spin for both employees and shareholders.

This blog aims to cut through the over-intellectual bull**** that waste so much of the time, energy and money spent on branding, taking the same practical, down-to-earth approach used in the brandgym books I've written. It will use topical brand examples to deliver bite-sized nuggets of insight, and each post will have "workouts" to help you apply the ideas to your brand. The blog should be a practical source of branding tips and tricks, not just a personal soapbox.

I came across the fascinating example of a brand harnessing digital technology to create a fantastic physical product in a Times article here. Lost My Name published 2015's highest-grossing picture book in both the UK and US,The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name (or The Little Boy Who Lost His Name), just three years after starting up. The London-based company hopes to sell 1.5 million books in 2016, generating £30 million of revenue.

The magic of the proposition is that every picture book is personalised based on the name of your child. The story actually differs depending on the letters in the name, with the young hero/heroine in the book meeting a host of characters that help collecting the letters of his/her name. The company reckons it has created a mind-boggling 200,000 unique variations of book!

Below I look at the treasure trove of insights in this lovely story.

1. Tap into a truth

Like most examples of brand growth, Lost My Name taps into a powerful insight. In this case, the insight is about parents wanting to encourage their child to learn in a way that is personalised to them. The personalisation here is powerful, what you could call "hyper personalisation". It's not just about having the kids' name on the cover, its about customising the whole story, to keep the child interested.

The insight has been translated into a brand idea of "Impossibly Personal Books", with the benefit "to inspire children every day". This proposition is strong enough to support a hefty price premium, with each book costing £20.

2. BE the consumer

Lost My Name is a brand created based on personal experience, similar to other stories I've posted on like the Mr and Mrs Smith travel company. Asi Sharabi set up the business with three friends in 2012 after one of his young daughters was given a personalised children’s book as a gift. “It was cheap and gimmicky. I was completely underwhelmed by it," commented Asi. "I called my friends and said, surely we can do something better." He didn't try to understand the consumer. He WAS the consumer.

3. Blend the physical AND digital

Lost My Name debunks the myth that digital technology will replace physical products. Asi has this to say about book publishing: “All these doomsayers saying, ‘It’s dead’, that is bull***t. The pie will be split differently, but books will be here for a long time yet.” He points out the enduring appeal of physical products in a digital world, especially for parents who worry about kids spending too much time on screens: “There’s that nostalgic feeling of the physical book,” he says.

We believe there are many opportunities to follow this example and blend the digital and physical worlds. For example, Fifty Three's beautifully designed note-making app Paper allows you to transform 15 of your favourite Paper pages into a real-life Moleskine notebook, as I posted on here.

4. JFLI and learn as you go

Lost My Name provides inspiration for any reader who harbours dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. Rather than spending months, or even years, perfecting a business plan and searching for investors, JFLI (Just f***ing launch it). You will learn a lot by starting small and going to market. As Asi observes, “It has exploded in ways that we never imagined. Accidentally, we created something that people really love.”

Initial sales, however small, will help prove your brand's potential, and help attract funding. Lost My Name started slowly, with sales during Christmas 2013 picking up on the back of features in newspapers and blogs, with sales of 23,000 books and revenue of £450,000. “We realised, that’s good enough to think about going full time and might be attractive to investors.” A first round of financing came in 2014 from a single investor, and $9 million of venture capital was secured a year later, from investors including Google Ventures.

5. Own the customer journey

A key feature of Lost My Name's business model is owning the customer journey, a feature shared other brands we admire, such as Nespresso. The company designs and creates the books and then sells via its own website.“We have 100% ownership of the whole customer journey," Mr Sharabi says in the article. "This is the total opposite of conventional publishing, which is totally fragmented between writers, agents, editors, publishers, booksellers, printers.”

6. Extend then stretch the core

In terms of innovation, Lost My Name is smart to start by growing the core, launching a second "Impossibly Personal" book, The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home. Eachbook takes the reader on a journey from Outer Space back to their doorstep, featuring a local landmark and a satellite image of their own home. In this way, the brand is extending the core to refresh it and make it stronger.

A strong core will then create the foundation for future stretch, which could include personalised family card games and posters. “Anything we can print on with a personal twist that is genuine and not gimmicky,” as Mr Sharabi puts it.

In conclusion, Lost My Name is a great example of a start-up that has used visceral, personal insight to create a distinctive brand that uses digital technology to create a fantastic physical product.

Click here for your early Xmas present buying for young sons, daughters, nieces and nephews!

"PR and marketing professionals in the UK are now more likely to use social media influencers than other types of 'traditional' celebrity for brand building campaigns," according to research by Takumi, published here in Campaign. The survey of 500 PR and marketing professionals showed 38% of them were using social media influencers, ahead of sportspeople (23%), TV actors (20%), models (16%) and film stars (14%). YouTube was the most popular channel for social influencer campaigns (used by 58% of respondents), followed by Twitter (51%), Facebook (52%) and Instagram (38%).

So, does this mean the days of celebrity endorsement are over? Yes indeedy according to Takumi's founder and CEO, Mats Stigzelius, who comments, "We expect influencer campaigns (will) become a standard element of the marketing mix, and predict social media influencers will be the go-to for authentic message distribution". But then he would say that I suppose, as he runs a social media influencer agency.

Here are some thoughts on the merits and limitations of using social media influencers.

1. Social media influencers can be cost effective

There is no doubt that the right social media influencers can be cost effective in terms of reach per £ spent. Stephen Bartlett of influencer marketing agency Social Chain demonstrated this in his recent Marketing Week Live presentation (below). Snoop Dog might have a huge social media following of 13.2million. But getting him to Tweet about your brand will set you back a cool £3,000. The dude on the right (whose name I can't even remember) is a social media influencer with much fewer followers, but these followers are more engaged and he only costs £100 a pop. Social Chain use a "T-Score" to show the higher online engagement per £ spent for the lesser know social media influencer.

So far, so social.

2. Reach vs. depth

The first watch out with social media influencers is reach. Market share growth is driven not by loyalty and how "deeply engaged" your users are, but rather by penetration, as I've posted on several times. Many so called social media influencers risk having limited impact as they lack the reach needed to drive penetration. For example, I posted here on a campaign by clothing retailer newlook.com, with a Youtuber called Beckii Cruel, who has an audience of c. 100,000. As a result, the "Wear it four ways" campaign video seems to have been watched by under 8,000 people. To put this in context, the monthly traffic to Newlook.com is 5 million, or 170,000 a day. So its hard to see this campaign having a big impact.

There are a few social media influencers with big reach, such as Zoella with her 7 million followers. But Zoella and her Youtuber buddies are really just celebrities for today's younger generation. They have big reach but come with a big price tag if you want to work with them.

3. Spikes vs. sustained presence

The second limitation I see with social media influencer campaigns is that they seem to be largely one-off, tactical campaigns that create a short-term spike in brand "noise". The study quoted in Campaign found an average spend of £6,000 per campaign and an average of seven campaigns per year". But running a total of 14-21 social media influencer campaigns over two to three years is unlikely to create distinctive memory structure for your brand. This requires two to three years of sustained and consistent marketing.

In contrast, done well, celebrity endorsement is a proven technique for building distinctive memory structure. For example, Sainsbury's created 10 years of "fresh consistency" with chef Jamie Oliver on over 100 campaigns, as I posted on here. The investment in the campaign was significant, but so was the payback, with an estimated £200m incremental revenue in the first six months alone, according to the IPA here.

4. Brand noise vs. brand equity

Relatively unknown social media influencers can create valuable short term noise for your brand. And they have the benefit of being seen, so we are told, as "authentic" (although as they become famous, and achieve the reach needed to be effective, I question if they maintain this authenticity). However, they are likely to be less effective than celebrities at providing "borrowed memory structure": a set of positive associations which can help enhance the equity of your brand. The trick here is of course choosing your celebrity wisely, in a way that does indeed fit with and amplify the brand image you are trying to build.

Nespresso have done this masterfully with the long-term endorsement of George Clooney, who has exactly the right personality attributes for Nespresso (suave, international, sophisticated, charming, witty), as we posted on here. And Nespresso have made the most of social media to amplify the TV campaign, including one of my favourite ever youtube films below with Clooney and John Malkovich. Genius.

In contrast, Magnum spent a lot of money on a recent global campaign with Hollywood actor Benicio del Toro. However, our IcAT study showed that he only "activated" the brand with 21% of UK consumers (below), with more people associating him with Häagen Dazs. In contrast, Eva Longoria was much more effective at activating brand recall, even though she was last used by Magnum in back in 2008. I suggest this may reflect the fact that Eva Longoria has a much better fit with the Magnum brand than del Toro.

In conclusion, I suggest that brand endorsement is like most things in marketing, and in life and general. You do tend to get what you pay for. If you want a short-term spike of brand noise, then a tactical campaign with a social media influencer might do the job. However, if you want long term brand and business build, a strategic partnership with the right celebrity might be more expensive, but also more effective in the long run.

I came across an interesting article in The Washington Post about how Timberland has mined customer data to help "reboot" the brand, here. The relaunch was promoted by revenue flatlining between 2006 to 2012, with the brand suffering from "a confusing and slapdash patchwork of marketing and product strategies", according the article. The brand was something of a hip-hop icon in the US, a comfort brand in Asia and more fashionable it Italy.

Following the re-launch, the brand is growing again, with revenue +10% in 2015 (exc. foreign currency effects) to almost $2billion, helped by a more consistent marketing approach across the globe. Margins are also up (13% in 2014 vs. 8% 2011), reflecting a cut in promotional pricing (88% of 2014 web sales at full price, vs 36% in 2013).

Below I look at how Timberland remembered and refreshed what made the brand famous.

1. Strong from the core

Timberland has a range that now stretches across a broad range of apparel, but the whole brand is built on the core "yellow boot" product. This core product encapsulates the qualities of ruggedness, durability and authenticity. And the brand team is clear about the role this product plays, with the website stating: "We pay tribute to the yellow boot's heritage and influence - to the icon that built a brand." Below you can see how the range of clothing is presented, with the boot still playing a starring role.

2. Play a portfolio role

For most of its history, Timberland had positioned itself as an rugged outdoor brand that could cope with extreme conditions, a brand "for the kind of guy who hikes in the woods for days with nothing but his backpack and his scouting skills" (see examples of communication below).

However, this positioning had to be re-visited following the brand's acquisition by VF Corp, in 2011. The brand became part of a portfolio that included hard-core outdoor specialist brands including North Face, Patagonia and Columbia. For these brands, outdoor performance was not just a "reason to believe", like Timberland, it was the "reason to be". Timberland needed to play a distinctive role in the portfolio role to maximise total company growth.

3. Searching for truth: cultural and human

Timberland was clearly in need of revitalisation. “The brand had become stale in many ways," stated Timberland’s president Stewart Whitney in the article. To refresh the brand the team searched for truths at two levels.

Human truth

A two-year customer of 18,000 people across eight countries helped Timberland identify a human truth about the ideal Timberland customer. This was "an urban dweller with a casual interest in the outdoors." As vice president of global marketing Jim Davey explained, “They care about the outdoors, but also about style and look(ing) right for the occasion.”

Cultural truth

This human truth tied in with a broader cultural truth about "the emerging popularity in cities of offerings such as bike-sharing programs and farm-to-table restaurants," This was further evidence of "City dwellers (who) crave an urban life that remains connected to the outdoors." As Joe Jackman, a retail strategy consultant, commented: “They’ve woven themselves right into this current zeitgeist.”

4. Refresh what made you famous

To respond to the cultural and human truths Timberland refreshed its brand positioning. This was about being "connected to the outdoors, but in a more casual, everyday way,” as Jim Davey said. Style is not at the forefront, with performance and sustainability a reason to believe in the brand, not the reason to exist (see below). This meant refining the product range:

More focus on style, less on performance, as Timberland’s global product VP Lisa Remarks observed: "Maybe we shouldn’t be doing highly technical ripstop nylon in apparel and really super-technical hikers in footwear.”

Colours palette: incorporating of the colour black, popular in urban wardrobes

All-seasons: designing more pieces to wear outside of winter, the season traditionally linked to Timberland

5. Fresh consistency

In the fashion business the natural tendency is to rapidly change your product offer to keep up with trends. However, Timberland's wholesale customers, such as department stores, told the company they were actually changing the brand's range too often. “We wanted to reinvent ourselves every season,” vice president for North America Diane Woods said. “We were keeping retailers moving too fast for what was profitable and good for them.” With a better balance between freshness and consistency, Timberland now sticks with collections for three to six seasons, boosting the bottom line for itself and for customers.

In conclusion, the rebooting of Timberland is a great example of tapping into truths about culture, life and brands to revitalise a brand and get it growing again.

I love making lists. They help me organise my life, both personal and professional. But I have sometimes worried that my list-making meant I was too process focused; not free thinking enough. So, I was pleasantly surprised to read an article in The Times that had this to say about list making: "Don’t be ashamed — it’s an outlet for creativity and a stress buster."

Below, I list some of the reasons why list making is actually to be embraced in today's digital age.

1. Managing in an age of data overload

As the article says, we are bombarded with information today. “In an age of information overload, we need systems outside our heads to help us,” according to Dr Daniel Levity, a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of The Organised Mind. Dr Levity found that many high-powered bosses use "the low-tech method of pen and pad to organise their day", writing in his book that “Categories can offload a lot of the difficult work of the brain.” Even the poster-boy of rebellious creativity, Richard Branson, has said “I live my life by lists.”

2. A moment of mindfulness

Mindfulness is all the rage these days. It has "been hailed as (the) calming tool of the 21st century," as The Times says. And it looks like lists could be one way to have a moment of mindfulness, with the article going on to explain that "psychologists point to the soothing quality of list-making in an increasingly fast world."

3. An enjoyable ritual

This mindful quality of list making is enhanced, I suggest, by choosing to carry out the ritual with nicely designed objects. Like many marketing and advertising folk, I'm a fan of Moleskine notebooks, a brand I posted on here. I use mine as a diary, for my to-do-list and for note taking. And I still remember how my first marketing director used a Mont Blanc fountain pen for his list making.

4. The joy of task completion

I know there are plenty of apps for list making, and I've tried a few. But in my notebook, these digital tools can't replace the sense of satisfaction I get from crossing off items on my to-do list with a pen.

5. Even digital leaders like lists

I love the story about lists told by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO, in her autobiography Lean In. She carries around a notebook and pen to track her to-do list, even though this was like “carrying round a stone tablet and chisel” inside her company. So, if its good enough for Sheryl, don't let those digital divas put you off your notebook.

In conclusion, if you are feeling stressed by the number of things to do in your life, perhaps its time to put down you phone, close your laptop and pick up a good old fashioned notebook and pen to make a list.